New, student-designed banner to herald School of Architecture grads at Fall 2022 commencement
The procession of new School of Architecture graduates at their fall 2022
commencement ceremony will be headed by a new gonfalon — a unique banner that
represents each Texas A&M school or college — designed by third-year Bachelor of
Environmental Design student Thomas Huizer.
This fall marked the debut of the School of Architecture, which offers a top-notch
education in a diverse range of disciplines that address critical, complex challenges in
the built environment.
The new gonfalon design, which will debut at a commencement ceremony Dec. 16,
2022 at 9 a.m in Reed Arena, was chosen as the winning entry by a jury in a contest
sponsored by the school.
Huizer, who earned $500 for his winning entry, said that his design represents the
school’s three departments, all of which are dedicated to the advancement of the built
environment.
“The central triangle, a key shape in the field of architecture, symbolizes power,
resilience, and direction, which is tilted to reveal its dimensionality, a non-planar object
manipulated by the designer in exploration of unique perspectives,” he said in a
description of what the shapes in his design represent.
The rectilinear towers that encompass the triangular shape, he said, represent the
monumental constructions throughout the history of architecture. These structures are
all placed upon the foundation, which symbolizes the beginning of architectural
education and knowledge.
The design’s yellow ribbons represent the builder’s creativity, the blue ribbons represent
reliability, and the red ribbons represent dedication, leading towards a better world
through the scope of knowledge and exploration, he said.
Runner-up designs submitted by Bachelor of Environmental Design students Skye Kirschner and Junseok Lee were also recognized by the jury. They each earned $250 for
their designs.
